BY: MORGAN DANIELS
Staff Writer
Student-athletes have an undeniably loaded schedule. Between workouts, practices, homework, studying, and the occasional out-of-state travel, they work hard to be good athletes and students. At Meramec, student-athletes receive immense emotional and academic support from coaches and staff committed to ensuring they succeed in the classroom.
An influential person behind the academic success of each athlete is Shelly Ethridge. She’s been with St. Louis Community College for 15 years, initially working as the head coach for Women’s basketball. Some students might know her as a professor, but she wears multiple hats. Ethridge is the retention coordinator for the athletic department, and her role is to provide leadership support and monitor academic success. Working with roughly 150 athletes can present challenges, but Ethridge said her passion stems from her love for working with student-athletes. “I love working with them. It gives me a way to keep in touch with the athletes after retiring from basketball,” she said.
One of Ethridge’s initiatives as coordinator is to ensure each team has access to the resources they need. Most teams utilize the tutoring, advising, and writing center. For example, Terry Collins, the head coach of the Men’s basketball team, requires that his athletes attend study halls three times a week for an hour and a half. He has seen an improvement in his team’s academics and appreciates how caring Meramec’s academic resources staff are with his athletes.
Alongside connecting teams to such resources, Ethridge works year-round with athletes individually. In those sessions, she will review current grades, discuss comments from instructor feedback, and offer additional assistance to ensure the athlete is on the right track toward graduating. In her career working with hundreds of students, she has experienced first-hand the dejection athletes may experience when their grades impede their eligibility to play. Ethridge’s one-on-one sessions allow her to empathize with athletes, encourage them to take advantage of resources like study halls, and let them know that their academic goals are attainable.
The commitment and passion of Ethridge and every athletic department staff member explain the department’s steady rise in team GPAs. Archer athletes have obtained a respectable B average academically from all seven teams. Furthermore, according to Ethridge, their average GPAs are increasing each semester and “moving in the right direction.”
Student-athletes at STLCC-Meramec have a large supportive community devoted to their athletic prowess and academic success, she said. It’s easy to become overwhelmed taking on the responsibility of an athlete and full-time student. It is, as Jerry Collins describes it, “taking on two jobs, and you don’t get paid for either.” However, with the support of coaches, directors, and coordinators like Ethridge, the Meramec athletic department continues to help their students succeed in the classroom so that they can perform outside of it.
